The first time I tried a pulled pork sandwich was at a street fair, and it was love at first bite! Shredded pork, with a tomatoey* BBQ sauce that had a kick of hot to it. They served it on a hamburger bun with a side of coleslaw, but some folks topped off their sandwich with the slaw. When I got home, I immediately started researching recipes so I could recreate this magical sandwich whenever my heart desired. I tried a few, but I think this one is the best. As far as the coleslaw – you’re on your own. I’m pretty sure my sister-in-law Pat would kill me if I gave away the secret to her world famous coleslaw. Sorry.
(*Tomatoey is a real word – go ahead and look it up – I’ll wait…)
- 1 pork Boston butt (about 5- 7 pounds)
- 1 3/4 cups barbecue sauce (I like K.C. Masterpiece’s Original)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup Coca Cola
- 1 teaspoon Crystal Hot Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- Hamburger buns
1. Preheat oven to 300º. Wrap the pork in aluminum foil, seal it tight. Place in a deep roasting pan sealed side up, and fill halfway up with water. Bake, refilling the water halfway through, for about 8 hours.
2. Unwrap pork, discard the juices and transfer to a baking sheet. Let cool a bit, and shred pork, discarding the bone and fat. Transfer pork to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add barbecue sauce, ketchup, Coca Cola, hot sauce, and cayenne, stir. Add sauce to shredded pork, and mix well – add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour water out of pan, and dry pan with a paper towel. Transfer pork to the roasting pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and return to oven for 45 minutes until the pork is heated through,
4. Scoop pork onto hamburger buns and serve hot. Makes enough to feed an army. (If you don’t have an army, portion it out in freezer bags for future dinners.)
(Slightly adapted from Saveur’s recipe.)
mmmmm…. pork.
You have to make this – it’s really good!